Cover installed operator for enclosed circuit breaker



Jan. 3, 1967 M. G. ZAVERTNIK ETAL 3,296,391

COVER INSTALLED OPERATOR FOR ENCLOSED CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed April 6, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l/ENTORS. MFJESHALL 6. 2A VEF? T/v/ HTToRA/E Y5 JOSEPH J FAR/N W/Q LMJi /MW Jan. 3, 1967 M. G. ZAVERTNIK ETAL COVER INSTALLED OPERATOR FOR ENCLOSED CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed April 6; 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 55 725 69 \MZZ/L 7/ a 76 6 OQM Y TE/ 5 MM N f R weJ T MH 9 n 5 s 1 MJ M United States Patent M 3,296,391 COVER INSTALLED OPERATOR FOR ENCLOSED CIRCUIT BREAKER Marshall G. Zavertnik, Manchester, and Joseph J. Farina,

Bridgeton, Mo., assignors to Killark Electric Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Apr. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 357,689 4 Claims. (Cl. 200-42) This invention relates to an operator and enclosure for a circuit breaker and particularly to an enclosure having a removable cover with an operating handle for setting the circuit breaker in open or closed circuit conditions, and for resetting the circuit breaker. The operating handle can be set in position to operate the toggle of the circuit breaker after the cover is mounted on the enclosure housing. These are also provisions for locking the handle, and therefore the circuit breaker, in open circuit condition.

In general, the enclosure includes a housing and a cover fastened by bolts to the housing. A shaft extends through the cover. A handle is attached to the outer end of the shaft outside the enclosure, and a trip lever is attached to the inner end of the shaft inside the enclosure. When the handle rotates, the shaft and trip lever rotate.

The trip lever has sides that normally lie on opposite sides of the circuit breaker toggle to act as movable walls for switching the toggle to its various operating positions. A compression spring permits the handle to be drawn away from the cover to free the trip lever from contact with the toggle.

A lockout plate is slidable longitudinally through the handle. There is a guard in front of the handle with a slot in it through which the lockout plate can be slid when the handle is in a particular position, and the lockout plate can be locked in this slot with a padlock.

Objects of the invention include the provision of an operator and enclosure for a circuit breaker having the foregoing charcteristics and features.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation view of the circuit breaker enclosure with dotted lines indicating alternate positions of the operating lever;

FIGURE 2 is a right side elevation view of the enclosure as viewed from the right side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary left side elevation view of the enclosure as viewed from the left side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary front elevation view of the enclosure with the operating lever shown locked in the locked out position;

FIGURE 5 is a rear elevation view of the enclosure cover with dotted lines indicating alternate positions of the trip lever;

FIGURE 6 is a front elevation view of the enclosure with the cover removed and with a circuit breaker shown diagrammatically within the enclosure, and with dotted lines indicating the position of the trip lever;

FIGURE 7 is a view in section on an enlarged scale taken along the line 77 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view in section on an enlarged scale taken along the line 8'8 of FIGURE 1, and with the trip lever in operating position;

FIGURE 9 is a view in section on an enlarged scale similar to that of FIGURE 8, but with the trip lever shown in retracted position;

3,296,391 Patented Jan. 3, 1967 FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary view in section similar to that of FIGURES 8 and 9, but with the lockout lever extended;

FIGURE 11 is a view in section taken along the line 1212 of FIGURE 9.

Referring now to the drawings, the circuit breaker enclosure 20 comprises a housing 21, and a cover 22. The housing 21 is generally rectangular with a back wall 23, side walls 24, and top and bottom walls 25 and 26. There are lug extensions 27 and 28 on the back wall 23 for mounting the housing 21 against a vertical wall. There is also an internally threaded sleeve 30 through the bottom wall 26 to which a conduit that carries wires may be connected.

The housing 21 has a continuous flange 32 around its sides, top and bottom which, as shown in FIGURE 8, is spaced from the front edge of the housing 21. The cover 22 has a flat front wall 33, sides 34, a top wall 35, and a bottom wall 36. The cover also has a continuous flange 37 that fits against the flange 32, and the cover 22 is fastened to the housing 21 by a plurality of bolts 38 threaded through the flanges 32 and 37. There is a rubber gasket 40 between the front wall 33 of the cover and the front edges of the housing 21.

A circuit breaker 41 is mounted within the housing 21, as generally illustrated in FIGURE 6. Various means may be used to mount the circuit breaker 41. As illustrated, there are two brackets 42 fastened by bolts 43 to the back wall 23 of the housing, and the circuit breaker 41 is fastened by bolts 44 to the brackets 42. The circuit breaker 41 is conventional and has a toggle 45 that occupies the central position illustrated in FIGURE 6 when the circuit breaker is off or open. To close the circuit breaker 41, the toggle 44 must be moved up above the position shown in FIGURE 6. If there is an overload on the line to which the circuit breaker is connected, the toggle moves to the central position illustrated in FIG- URE 6 when the circuit breaker opens the circuit. To reset the circuit breaker to the closed condition, the toggle must first be moved down to a reset position below that shown in FIGURE 6 and then back up to the circuit closed position. This is conventional circuit breaker operation.

There is a tapped hole 48 through the cover 22. A bushing 49 is threaded into the hole 48 against an internal tooth lock Washer 50. The bushing 49 has a hole 51 through it.

A shaft 53 extends through the hole 51 in the bushing 49. The upper end 54 of the shaft is threaded into the hub 55 of an operating handle 56. A pin 57 extends through a hole 58 in the hub 55 and through a hole in the upper end 54 of the shaft to lock the operating handle 56 to the shaft 53.

The hub 55 is cylindrical and is solid except for a slot 60 through it. The handle 56, which extends from the hub 55 has a top wall 61, side walls 62 and 63, and a back wall 64. There is a slot 65 through the back wall 64 in line with the slot 60.

A lockout plate 68 slides between the sides 62 and 63. The lockout plate 68 has a taller end 69 that fits between the upper and lower sides of the slot 60. The plate 68 extends through the slot 65 in the end wal 64 of the handle and has a bent end 70 beyond the end wall 64. There is a compression spring 71 positioned within an opening 72 through the plate 68. One end of the compression spring 71 bears against the cylindrical hub 55. The other end of the spring 71 is received on a narrow projection 73 within the opening 72. The lockout plate 68 has a slot 75 through it, and a pin 76 which is fixed to the side walls 62 and 63 of the handle 56 is received within the slot 75. The lockout plate 68 can slide relative to the handle 56 as limited by the pin 76. The compression spring 71 biases the lockout plate 68 to the position illustrated in FIGURE 8, where the forward edge of the head 69 is retracted within the hub 55. There is another hole 77 through the head 69 of the lockout plate just behind the forward edge thereof.

A guard 80 is fastened to the cover 22 by screws 81 extending through its base 82. The guard has a curved wall 83 defining the sides 84 and 85 of an are through which the handle 56 can swing. There are set screws 86 and 87 that can be adjusted to adjust the limits of this are. The wall 83 has a slot 88 through it.

The shaft 53 has been mentioned. Below its threaded upper end 54, it has an annular groove 90 within which an O-ring 91 is seated. A trip lever 92 is fixed to the lower end of the shaft 53 so that it cannot rotate relative to the shaft 53. The base 94 of the trip lever 92, is at right angles to the shaft 53, and the lower end of a compression spring 95 is seated on this base 94. A spring retainer 96 is mounted on the shaft 53, and the upper end of the spring 95 bears against the spring retainer 96. The spring retainer 96 stops against the lower end of the bushing 49.

The trip lever 92'has an arm 97 that is inclined away from the base 94, but its end 98 is bent parallel to the base 94. There are spaced sides 99 and 100 on opposite sides of the end 98 (see FIGURE The sides 99 and 100 are spaced so that they fit on opposite sides of the toggle 44, which is received between them.

Operation Assuming that the housing 21 is mounted on a vertical surface, and after the circuit breaker 41 is mounted on the bracket 42, the cover 22 can be installed. It is not necessary that the trip lever 92 be aligned with the toggle 44 when the cover is installed. The bolts are fastened in place and this compresses the gasket 40 sufficiently to provide a seal against dust and moisture.

When the cover 22 is in place, and the spring 95 is extended, it holds the hub 55 of the handle 56 against the outer end of the bushing 49. This puts the trip lever side walls 99 and 100 within contact position of the toggle 44, as illustrated in FIGURE 8. However, the handle 56 can be pulled away from the cover 22 against the force of the compression spring 95 to draw the side walls 99 and 190 away from the toggle 44. Thus, when the handle 55 is grasped and pulled away from the cover 22, it pulls with it the shaft 53 and the trip lever 92. This allows the trip lever 92 to be swung into the position at which its side walls 99 and 100 are on opposite sides of the toggle 44 so the cover 22 can be installed without worrying about the position of the trip lever 92. Normally, the toggle 44 is in the off or solid line position illustrated in FIGURE 6, and the operator knows that the trip lever will be aligned with the toggle when the handle 56 is horizontal. This adjustment of the position of the trip lever 92 also can be done by feel, such as by swinging the handle 56 until one of the side walls 99 or 100 contacts the trip lever, then pulling the handle out and swinging the handle a little further to about the position where its side walls 99 and 100 are on opposite sides of the toggle, and thereafter releasing the handle.

The various parts are so positioned that when the handle 56 occupies the solid line position illustrated in FIGURE 1, the trip lever 92 occupies the solid line position illustrated in FIGURE 5 (and the dotted line position illustrated in FIGURE 6), and the toggle 44 occupies the solid line position illustrated in FIGURE 6. This is the off or open circuit condition for the circuit breaker 41. To

close the circuit breaker, the handle 56 is moved in a counterclockwise direction when viewing FIGURE 1 to the upper dotted line position, opposite the on desig- 4 nation on the base 82 of the guard 80. As the handle 56 is so pivoted, the trip lever 92 also pivots with it, and the lower side wall presses the toggle 44 upwardly to the on or closed circuit position.

If something happens in the circuit to cause the circuit breaker 41 to open, the toggle 44 moves to the solid line position illustrated in FIGURE 6. This carries with it a pivotal action of the trip lever 92 and the handle 56 to the solid line position illustrated in FIGURE 1. This is the off position of the handle 56. Since the toggle 44 must be moved down to reset position before it can be moved to the closed circuit position, the handle 56 must be pivoted in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 1 to the lower dotted line position and then back to the upper dotted line position to reset the circuit breaker 41.

The lockout plate 68 that slides within the handle 56 allows the circuit breaker 41'to belocked in the off or open circuit condition. This is the condition in which the toggle 44 occupies the solid line position shown in FIG- URE 6. It is also the condition in which the handle 56 occupies the solid line position in FIGURE 1. When the handle is in this position, the slot 88 in the guard 83 is opposite the slot 60 in the hub 55 of the handle. 56. Therefore, when the end 70 of the plate 68 is pushed, the large end 69 of the plate 68 is extended beyond the front of the hub 55 through this slot 88, as illustrated in FIG- URES 4 and 10. The plate 68 can be locked in this position by a padlock P, as illustrated in FIGURE 4.

As soon as the lock P is removed, the compression spring 71 returns the lockout plate 68 to the position shown in FIGURE 7, freeing the handle 56 for rotation as has been described.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the purview of this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are Within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended thereto.

What is claimed is:

1. An enclosure for a circuit breaker comprising a housing, a cover removably attached to the housing, a bushing mounted in the cover and having a hole through it, a shaft therefore rotatable and longitudinally supported in the hole in the bushing, an operating handle attached to the end of the shaft outside the housing, a trip lever attached to the end of the shaft inside the housing, the trip lever having a lever arm with spaced side walls adapted to engage opposite sides of a circuit breaker toggle, the handle being pivotable to rotate the shaft and the trip lever through positions that move the circuit breaker toggle to'open circuit, closed circuit, and reset positions, and spring means biasing the shaft in a direction to position the side walls of the lever arm for engagement with the toggle while permitting longitudinal withdrawal of the shaft by manual pull of the operating handle to draw the side walls of the lever arm free of and beyond the toggle, whereby the trip lever can be positioned to operate the toggle after the cover is attached to the housing.

2. The combination of claim 1 with means to lock the handle in a selected one of the foregoing positions.

3. In a housing having an open end and adapted to house a circuit breaker which has a toggle movable between open circuit, closed circuit, and reset position, with the toggle being directed toward the open end, a cover for the housing, thecover providing a complete closure for the open end to define with the housing a closed container for the circuit breaker, a shaft rotatably and axially slidably extending through the cover, a handle fastened to the end of the shaft outside the enclosure, a trip lever fastened to the shaft within the enclosure, the handle being rotatable to rotate the shaft and the trip lever,- a guard wall on the outerside of the cover adjacent a part of the handle, a slot in the guard wall, a plate slidably supported by the handle, the plate having an end adapted to project through the slot when the plate is slid in onedirection, a spring biasing the plate in the opposite direction to withdraw the 5 6 end from the slot, the trip lever having wall means for References Cited by the Examiner engaging the toggle to move the toggle to its various posi- UNITED STATES PATENTS trons upon rotatlon of the handle, the trip lever walls being v movable out of engagement with the toggle upon sliding 2,661,461 12/1953 Haury 200-4X the shaft in a direction away from the toggle, and spring 5 2,907,840 10/1959 Cole 20050 3,141,934 7/1964 Beaudoin et a1 200-50 means biasing the shaft toward the toggle.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the guard has Wall extensions positioned to operate as stops on opposite ROBERT SCHAEFER Primary Exammer' sides of the arc of rotation of the handle. H. HOHAUSER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ENCLOSURE FOR A CIRCUIT BREAKER COMPRISING A HOUSING, A COVER REMOVABLY ATTACHED TO THE HOUSING, A BUSHING MOUNTED IN THE COVER AND HAVING A HOLE THROUGH IT, A SHAFT THEREFORE ROTATABLE AND LONGITUDINALLY SUPPORTED IN THE HOLE IN THE BUSHING, AN OPERATING HANDLE ATTACHED TO THE END OF THE SHAFT OUTSIDE THE HOUSING, A TRIP LEVER ATTACHED TO THE END OF THE SHAFT INSIDE THE HOUSING, THE TRIP LEVER HAVING A LEVER ARM WITH SPACED SIDE WALLS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE OPPOSITE SIDES OF A CIRCUIT BREAKER TOGGLE, THE HANDLE BEING PIVOTABLE TO ROTATE THE SHAFT AND THE TRIP LEVER THROUGH POSITIONS THAT MOVE THE CIRCUIT BREAKER TOGGLE TO OPEN CIRCUIT, CLOSED CIRCUIT, AND RESET POSITIONS, AND SPRING MEANS BIASING THE SHAFT IN A DIRECTION TO POSITION THE SIDE WALLS OF THE LEVER ARM FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE TOGGLE WHILE PERMITTING LONGITUDINAL WITHDRAWAL OF THE SHAFT BY MANUAL PULL OF THE OPERATING HANDLE TO DRAW THE SIDE WALLS OF THE LEVER ARM FREE OF AND BEYOND THE TOGGLE, WHEREBY THE TRIP LEVER CAN BE POSITIONED TO OPERATE THE TOGGLE AFTER THE COVER IS ATTACHED TO THE HOUSING. 